A Roadmap to Better Decision Making

NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down to discuss the current corn, soybean, and wheat markets and also provide their updated sales targets. There are also discussions about the current conflict in the Middle East, rising input costs, rising interest rates, and how all of this might impact Wall Street, Main Street, and rural economies. Kevin ...
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Wheat, amongst many, has become the low-tech stepchild of US row crops. Over the last 30 years, America’s farmers have increasingly ditched conventional wheat acres for more profitable genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans. This year, they intend to plant the fewest wheat acres since the USDA began keeping records over a century ago. But seed companies are now betting ...
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The proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern rail merger is shaping up as one of the most consequential transportation deals in decades. And US agriculture is emerging as one the most worried – stakeholder groups. While the railroads pitch a coast‑to‑coast network that boosts efficiency and reliability, farm organizations warn it could tighten an already constrained rail landscape, raise shipping costs, and ...
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John Deere’s new E98 8R prototype looks, at first glance, like any other big green row‑crop tractor. Under the hood, though, it’s running on something very different from diesel: fuel‑grade ethanol, about 98 percent pure. For row‑crop farmers who already grow the feedstock for that fuel, Deere’s prototype paints a possible future where your tractor runs on a fuel made ...
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NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down to discuss the current corn, soybean, and wheat markets and also provide their updated sales targets. There is some debate about the latest USDA data regarding new-crop planted acres. There are also discussions about the conflict in the Middle East, along with Kevin's current thoughts regarding the stock market, ...
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Our good friend and ag entrepreneur, Matt Crisp, recently shared his thoughts about the state of crop protection and everything tied to it, meaning innovation, regulation, resistance, and the growing pressure on farmers. His thoughts are not about any one company or decision, but rather the structural issues and how agriculture might learn a lesson from pharma. Below is a ...
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The USDA’s latest Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey shows that U.S. farmland is increasingly owned by older, non-farming landlords, with only a modest amount expected to change hands over the next five years. The findings highlight growing structural pressure around land access, rental markets, and succession as billions of dollars in land assets are held by ...
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Syngenta and Vivent Biosignals are working on a new way to help farmers catch crop problems earlier—by listening directly to the plants themselves. While the concept may sound hokey, it is grounded in well-established plant physiology.Plants don’t have nerves like animals, but they do use electrical signals to move information internally. Every plant cell maintains a small voltage difference across ...
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NEW FARMCON PODCAST… Kevin Van Trump and Todd Loechler sit down with special guests Gary Lezak, Founder and CEO of Weather 20/20, to discuss the upcoming planting and growing season weather forecasts and how Gary and his team is bringing unparalleled weather data and predictive analytics to the world of agriculture. Kevin and Todd also get into a deeper discussion ...
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A “snow drought” in the upper Colorado River Basin is breaking records. Ski and winter recreation businesses have already been feeling the impact. However, the real pain may come later this spring to farmers and communities that rely on the critical waterway. The Colorado River basin spans parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, and serves ...
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